


OUAT, episode 2: ''Locked''

by Omorocca



Series: Once Upon a Time [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-21
Updated: 2012-06-21
Packaged: 2017-11-08 05:40:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/439758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omorocca/pseuds/Omorocca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Story written in the hiatus before 'Skin Deep' so it doesn't take Rumbelle into consideration, though it kind of respects this pairing.......... I changed a few details after 'Skin Deep' aires to make it fit more.<br/>Not saying too much, I don't want to spoil.<br/>I truly wish you like it, it's the first time I show my fanfictions to strangers. Feel free to comment whether you liked or not, but be respectful.<br/>Thank you</p>
            </blockquote>





	OUAT, episode 2: ''Locked''

Fanfiction

Characters © OUAT writers and producers

Mother Gothel and Rapunzel © Grimm

Rebecca, Dominic and original characters are mine

 

 

As the gates of the castle opened, the guards ran outside in terror. They had seen the horse come from afar and recognized one of the two people it carried.

 

“Lady Rapunzel!”

 

The captain of the guards walked towards her, relieved.

 

“Thank the heavens you are safe. We searched the whole kingdom for you.”

 

He paused. He had realised who she was riding with: the prince, the son of his Lady’s enemy, but he didn’t seem that surprised. Instinctively, he bowed but discreetly put his hand on his sword.

 

“Your Highness… My Lady, what is happening?”

“You can trust Wilfried, captain. He’s the one who found me. What happened while I was away? Did this… thing my mother feared come to her?”

“I am sorry, my Lady. We found her body in your room. We have no idea how this person could have come here without us noticing… I mean, even Prince Wilfried had one of the guards letting him in; he confessed last week, when you dissappeared. This… man – or whatever it is – came and left unnoticed. And,” he saw the strange cross his lady wore on her neck, “the other half of her amulet is gone.”

“So, this enemy, asked Wilfried, he stole your mother’s powers?”

 

She played with the pendant of her necklace, slowly understanding what her mother had done.

 

“Not all of them.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

The little bell rang, when the door opened and slowly, Rebecca guided Dominic inside the shop and closed the door. The bell rang again but the owner still hadn’t shown. With a little smile, Rebecca looked around and guided Dominic in the middle of the shop, like she wanted to show him something spectacular. Something he wasn’t so sure about.

 

“Are you sure he won’t mind? I know things have been pretty weird with you two these past weeks.”

“He probably will, but you need this. At least give it a try… I’ll deal with the uh… consequences.”

“What consequences?” asked a voice behind them.

 

Rebecca turned to see Mr Gold had emerged from the back store. Slowly, he walked towards his ex-wife and her new boyfriend.

 

“After we spoke last month, he said, I didn’t think I would see you again so soon.”

“Well, the accident wasn’t your fault, was it?... I just needed some time to think this all out.”

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m here for Dominic. He wasn’t feeling well this morning, so I had this crazy idea of bringing him here.”

“What for?”

“That’s exactly what I keep asking”, answered Dominic with a smile.

“I brought you here, Rebecca said, because outside of my home, this is the only place I ever felt perfectly safe. I know it’s strange but all those things, they belonged to someone… They used to be a part of someone’s life and I always felt like a part of their owners’ souls were here. This shop feels alive and if it can make me feel better every time, in spite of my relationship with its owner, then it can work for you too.”

 

Dominic had listened with an open mind but couldn’t resist a laugh as he asked Mr Gold.

 

“Was she always like that?”

“You have no idea”, answered the pawnbroker with a smile.

 

That answer made them laugh and Rebecca took Dominic’s face in her hands, an enigmatic smile on her lips.

 

“Well, it seems to be working. You’ve been here less than five minutes and you’re already happier.”

 

They stayed like this for a moment, Rebecca’s hand pulling Dominic’s hair off his face and placing it behind his ear, a caring gesture. Mr Gold watched them for a few seconds, an idea on the back of his head; then it happened.

 

“I feel dizzy”, Dominic said, putting his hands on his forehead.

 

Rebecca just had the time to touch her boyfriend’s face to realise he was burning up and Dominic collapsed of the floor.

 

“Dominic?... Oh my god! Dominic!”

“I’ll call an ambulance”, said Gold rushing in the back store as fast as his limp could carry him.

 

Rebecca sat on the floor and took her beloved in her arms, tears flooding from her eyes. Dominic remained unconscious.

 

 

 

At the hospital, they rushed Dominic into an exam room. Dr Whale was already waiting with two nurses who started prepping the poor man. The doctor stepped out of the room to speak with Rebecca, a sad look on his face.

 

“What exactly did happen?”

“I don’t – I don’t know, he just collapsed. He said he wasn’t feeling well, so we went out for some air. We stopped at the shop for… something… and that’s when Dominic fainted.”

 

She couldn’t say why she had brought Dominic to the shop. He would think she had gone crazy. He probably already suspected it. By her side, Mr Gold’s presence made things quite uncomfortable.

 

“Well, Miss Toren. You’ve been with him the last few times. As horrible as it is to say it, you know his tumour is in a pretty advanced state. Fact is things might not get better. I’m sorry.”

 

He went back to take care of Dominic and Rebecca was left alone with her ex. She sat down, still in shock, her hands nervously playing with her cross pendant. Mr Gold, his hand playing with something in his pocket, looked at her upsettingly. If the two amulets were close and Rebecca’s true love had already worked in finding Dominic… how come it didn’t cure him? If certain objects retained a fraction of magic, how come the amulet didn’t work this time? Was it because he – Gold – had the other half? Could he be responsible for Dominic getting worse? How come? The only people he truly loved were long gone from his life. He wasn’t supposed to make it work… That’s what Gothel had told him.

 

Mr Gold sat by his ex-wife’s side, uncertain of what to do. Comforting a damsel in distress wasn’t his forte.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

It didn’t even sound right, but it made her react.

 

“I – I knew it was bad but I thought… I hoped he still had some time. I mean, I knew he couldn’t recover but I thought we could be happy until—”

 

As she spoke, she started to cry. At first, she wanted to hide it from her ex; all their history made it hard on her to express something in front of a man who had terrified her for so long. But he was there, now. He could have left her with her pain but he was there. Whatever his reasons, he was by her side.

 

“Do you mind staying with me until Dr Whale comes back?”

“Not at all.”

 

This time, it was sincere. He did not mind. Rebecca had a grateful smile.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Lady Gothel’s Castle

 

In the garden of the castle, they were all standing silent around the casket. All the guards surrounded it to pay their last respects to their Lady. Some of them had obviously cried, for serving Lady Gothel had been their whole life.

 

The captain got ready to lower the casket, when Rapunzel stopped him.

 

“Wait… one last time.”

 

She opened the box and saw her mother’s lifeless body, all prepped for burial. She took her mother’s cold hand and used it to pull her own hair off her face and put it behind her ear. This caring gesture Lady Gothel had always had for her daughter. Rapunzel would miss it deeply. She kissed her mother’s hand and put it back, then walked away.

 

“Good bye, mother!”

 

The captain of the guards closed the casket again and he and his men put it in the hole. Rapunzel and Wilfried waited until the hole was all filled, and then waited some more.

 

In that same evening, a guard came running to the castle, delivering a message to the captain who went immediately to Rapunzel.

 

“My Lady, we have a problem.”

“What is it, captain?”

 

The captain looked at Wilfried before answering.

 

“It’s all right, captain. You can speak in front of Wilfried.”

“I’m not so sure, my Lady… Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness, but it concerns you. It’s your father. When you went missing, he sent soldiers searching for you and when he found out you were here… he’s massed an army to attack us. They will be here within three days.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, we, uh… we have a spy amongst his councillors…”

 

Wilfried heard the confession, but took it rather well. He could not blame the man for the rivalry between the King and the Witch. He turned to Rapunzel.

 

“I will go to my father and stop this.”

“I will go with you.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea… His relationship with your mother is… was complicated.”

“I am not my mother… and I have a responsibility now to all the people who live on my land. I must find a truce with the king to keep them safe.”

 

 

 

At the king’s castle, King Gabriel was staring at land maps. On them, laid the whole kingdom and the frontiers with its neighbour lands. One of his councillors walked towards him, a worried look on his face.

 

“Your Majesty, troops from the Eastern front have asked for reinforcements again. They cannot hold the frontier, the monsters are too strong.”

“How many do they need?”

“A lot more than we can send them. And most of the men we have left have been dispatched to Lady Gothel’s land.”

“She has my son!” roamed the king. “I will not let this go unpunished.”

“But those soldiers are needed on the front, sire. May I suggest that instead of an army, you send someone to try and negotiate this peacefully?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

 

That answer made the king startle and he turned, his face lit with joy for he had recognised his son’s voice.

 

“Wilfried! She let you go!”

“Lady Gothel never imprisoned me, father. I was there of my own free will!”

 

After hugging his son, the king noticed the shy woman by his side. He smiled, surprised.

 

“Is she the lovely lady you told me about?”

“Yes, father. This is Lady Rapunzel.”

“Lady… Lady Gothel’s daughter?”

“Yes, father… This is why I was at Lady Gothel’s castle. I was with Rapunzel this whole time.”

 

Still shaken by this revelation, by the whole situation, in fact, the king took his son away for a moment.

 

“Son, forgive my bluntness but you do know what Gothel and I think of each other.” The prince acquiesced. “What makes you think she isn’t using her daughter to manipulate you?”

 

Behind them, Rapunzel laughed.

 

“This is exactly what my mother asked when I told her about Wilfried.”

“What? You mean she knows? And she gave her approval?”

“She has ways to know if Wilfried truly loves me and… he passed the text.”

“That untrusting witch agreed to this union?”

“The point is, father, said Wilfried, there is no reason why you should wage a war with Lady Gothel’s people… especially since we need all our men to protect our land. Perhaps your councillor is right, instead fighting with each other, we should unite our forces.”

“Unite? Don’t be ridiculous, son. You may love Lady Rapunzel, but her mother and I… this is just impossible!”

“Why do you hate my mother so much?”

“This is a long story, but the short of it is we cannot trust each other anymore… what she does, it’s unnatural.”

“What she did was keeping her people safe in any way she could. You sent soldiers to fight, she cast protective spells.”

“Dark magic.”

“Not any darker than sending people to their death in your name!”

 

The king and Rapunzel stared at each other like enemies. Between them, Wilfried didn’t know what to do. It was the first time he had ever seen her so fiery. He took his beloved in his arms and tried to soothe her in spite of his father’s rising rage.

 

“How dare you insult me in my own house?”

“How dare you, Your Majesty, insult my mother’s legacy in front of me?”

“Rapunzel”, Wilfried whispered.

“Gothel and I have a history you will never understand,”

“ _Lady_ Gothel was my whole world! And she’s dead.” The king gasped. “We just buried her and I would appreciate you didn’t tarnish her name any more.”

 

She then broke in tears in Wilfried’s arms. King Gabriel stayed alone, in shock, staring blankly at his map as his councillor, still present, had no idea what to do.

 

“Councillor?”

“Your Majesty?”

“Call off the attack on Gothel’s land. Send these men to the Eastern front, where they are needed.”

“Yes, sire.”

 

The councillor then left the room, obviously relieved of the king’s decision and King Gabriel saw that and frowned. He would have to ask him about that, but for the moment Lady Rapunzel was getting a hold of herself and Wilfried was supporting her, a discreet hand on her belly.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

These words came from the king.

 

“I’m sorry for your loss. No matter how things were between us, you still lost your mother and the last thing you need is this kind of behaviour from me… Wilfried loves you. You should hear all that he told me about the ‘woman of his dreams’. He didn’t tell me your name because he knew I would have reacted like this… badly! If we’re going to be a family, I should start behaving like a father a little more.”

 

The young couple awkwardly looked at each other. It was Wilfried who broke the silence.

 

“Perhaps, father, it would be more appropriate to behave like a grandfather.”

“What?”

 

The king was taken aback. The unsuspected surprise of such an unusual relationship combined with the wonderful news of a baby coming left him completely speechless.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

Emma entered the hospital, a file in her hand. She stopped at a desk to ask a nurse where Dr Whale was when she stumbled on Mr Gold carrying a paper tea cup.

 

“Sheriff Swann. What brings you here?”

“I’m here to see Dr Whale.”

“I do hope it’s not an emergency; he is still running some tests.”

“How do you know that?”

 

She saw Rebecca not far behind, walking in circles, playing with her necklace.

 

“Is it… Dominic?”

 

Mr Gold walked towards his ex-wife, taking his time before asking:

 

“What do you know of Mr Muller?”

“Just that he went to the doctor a lot. That’s how he and Rebecca met.”

 

Mr Gold didn’t speak more; Rebecca had seen them coming and her face lighted.

 

“Hello Sheriff… Oh thank you.” She took the cup Gold gave her.

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” he asked her.

 

She smiled and agreed to at least sit down.

 

“What happened?” asked Emma.

“… Well… Dominic has a tumour in his brain. That’s why he was always coming here. He collapsed this morning and Dr Whale confirmed he might not recover.”

 

Emma put a hand on Rebecca’s to soothe her. Gold watched the gesture scrupulously. At this moment, Dr Whale came in, a distressed look on his face

 

“Doctor, any news?” She saw him doubt in the presence of Emma and Gold. “It’s O.K. you can talk in front of them.”

“Honestly… I have no idea what’s going on. We made a ton of E.E.G. and scans and… well see for yourselves.”

 

He showed them one of the scans of Dominic’s head. It was all blurry.

 

“What’s that?” asked Emma, trying to see clearly.

“All the scans came back like this. It’s like an interference that makes everything blurry… At first, I thought something was wrong with the machine, so I had my own head scanned… ” He showed them another scan, a perfectly clear one.

“How is that possible?” asked Rebecca.

“I wish I could give you an answer… As of right now, the only thing we can do is keep Dominic under surveillance until we can figure out how to see inside of his head. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

“For what?”

“For giving me news… no matter how weird… It’s better than not knowing.”

“Well, I hope I can do better than that.”

 

Rebecca sighed. She would have to wait again. She went to sit in a corner and try to calm down. Emma looked at Dominic through the glass and went back to the doctor.

 

“What else can we do?”

“We’re already doing all that can be done, Sheriff. Truth is, a lot of unexplained things have happened to my patients lately and I’m starting to wonder what I’m doing wrong.”

“I’m sure you’re doing your best,” she answered with a little look at Gold by her side. The pawnbroker understood she needed privacy and went to sit by his ex-wife. “You’ve helped me a lot with David Nolan’s case… do you think I could ask you a few questions before you go back to Dominic?”

“Of course… What can I do for you?”

“Well, David’s had another blackout last night. I found him doing my round and he seemed coherent so I drove him home. I called him this morning to see how he was doing… he doesn’t remember anything. I thought he might have come to you.”

“I haven’t seen him today. Last time I saw him was last week for a routine evaluation. I know he’s been to Dr Hopper’s a few times, but other than that…”

 

It didn’t answer her questions. She wished she could tell him more to get more information in return… but she would have to tell him that she lied about the blackout. To get to the truth, she had to keep the truth hidden for now and it made it impossible for her to get answers.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Dark Castle

 

In his tower, Rumpelstiltskin was growing impatient. The amulet lay on the table before him as if to mock his inability to make it work. The more he tried, the more frustrated he became. In a last attempt, he used the fairy godmother’s wand; fairy magic might get other results than the powers of the Dark One on the spells of the paranoid witch. He moved the wand over the amulet; sparks popped and the jewel twitched.

 

“Come on, dearie. Show me what you can do.”

 

The amulet started shining brightly and Rumpelstiltskin let out a giggle. He had made it work. Now he would be able to explore its magic. The ray of light began to take shape… the bright shape of a woman. Rumpelstiltskin’s eyes widened as he recognized the woman he had killed.

 

“I see you have managed to turn on my amulet. You are more powerful than I thought.” In a response, the imp made a flourished bow. The witch went on, unimpressed. “However, you are still far from being able to use it.”

“What do you mean, dearie?” he answered, always fond of a challenge.

“Why do you think I let you kill me so quickly?”

 

He paused, raised a finger and stopped moving, his hand still in the air. Then he frowned.

 

“I mentioned your daughter!”

 

The spirit of the witch smiled.

 

“I broke the amulet in two before you came in. She’s got the other half and you can’t get the spells to work unless they are within reach.”

“Simple enough!”

“Oh no, it’s not, teased the witch. She has found true love. As you well know, it is the most powerful magic and it will keep her safe from you. It also means that if the amulets reconnect, _she_ will have the advantage for she loves and you don’t.”

“We shall see!”

 

He wasn’t smiling anymore. The form – spirit or otherwise – of Lady Gothel vanished and the amulet shut off again.

 

Out of patience, the imp grabbed the table he was leaning on and flipped it over. All the potions and objects that were on it broke on the floor in an apocalypse of glass.

 

“We shall see!”

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

Rebecca stared in front of her, her hands playing with her necklace. By her side, Mr Gold kept silent as questions ran through his mind. Discreetly, he put his hand in his pocket, where the amulet was.

 

“Thank you for being here, she finally said. I think I would lose it if I had to go through this alone.”

 

He didn’t know what to answer. He was there but not for this reason. He needed to find out what had happened in his shop. Why didn’t the amulets, their powers combined, save Dominic’s life?

 

“No matter.”

“Big matter, you mean… How long were we married?”

 

A trick question. He thought carefully before answering; in truth they were never married. It was a fake memory generated by the curse, a memory that lasted twenty-eight years.

 

“Married, almost ten years; but we stayed apart most of that time. Why do you ask?”

“Because I can’t remember a time when we were there for each other… and here you are.” She paused and looked at him. “Why?”

 

He couldn’t answer and they stared at each other, apparently married for ten years and yet perfect strangers. She broke the charm when she spoke, carefully choosing her words.

 

“I think… it’s the same reason why you never signed the divorce papers. I know we never loved each other and for years, I didn’t question why you would ask a woman you don’t love to marry you… but I think I figured it out now.”

“You did, huh?”

“The answer is in your shop. You keep a ton of objects, other people’s possessions that you acquire, whatever their price. You rarely sell but you constantly buy… so much that the shop is full and you started to stock them in your house. But it’s all worth it to know that something that used to be a part of someone’s life is now yours.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“It’s not these things that you like, it’s because they compensate for something you lack. Just like I do. You never loved me, but you needed me to fill something missing in your heart.” He twitched at that sentence. She smiled a little. “And you can’t think of letting me go because of that.”

 

He stayed silent. He had ‘married’ her to gain access to her mother’s powers, but was it the only reason he tried to keep her? Did he need her for another, more painful reason, perhaps the same as the one that made her say ‘yes’ to his fake proposal: loneliness?

 

“And how did you figure all that out?”

“Simple…”

 

And to his surprise, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. They stayed like that for a few seconds, their lips locked in their first ‘real’ kiss, the first that meant something. It was at that moment that Emma came back from Dr Whale’s office. She stayed behind, watching silently this odd couple’s embrace. Then Rebecca let go of Mr Gold’s lips.

 

“So… how did it feel?”

 

Confused, he babbled a “what?” trying to figure out what she meant by all this. She smiled.

 

“Exactly… when a man’s wife kisses him, is it supposed to confuse him? Shouldn’t he _know_ what he feels?”

“Well what did _you_ feel?”

“It reminded me of whatever good we had. For a short time, we did try to be happy together and the kiss recalled that.” She suddenly blushed. “I also remembered how handsome I think you are… Your charm, that’s what attracted me at first, when I started visiting your shop.”

 

They laughed at the evocation of that memory, that fake memory that suddenly took some level of reality. Behind them, Emma smiled. They were strange, yet beautiful to see; like two broken friends trying to rekindle after too many years astray.

 

“So… to make a long point short, I think you married me for the same reason I married you: because you once loved and losing that love hurt you so much that you chose an illusion rather than look for the real thing again.” She paused, and looked at how he reacted to her speech. “You’re wondering how I know that, aren’t you?”

“Do tell!” His piercing eyes were burning her, as if they tried to search her mind.

“Because I was like you, but I found love again. I truly love and it hurts me so much that I feel I’m constantly dying. If Dominic dies… I could lock myself up in a false relationship again, only to avoid the pain.”

 

In saying that, her voice broke and she began to sob again. Emma thought of intervening, but thought again. They would know they had a witness. Slowly, she began to walk back the way she came, as she saw Mr Gold awkwardly put his arm around his ex-wife’s shoulder and Rebecca lean on him to cry.

 

 

 

Before heading back to the station, Emma drove her yellow bug to the animal shelter, where David worked. She didn’t know what was going on or how to handle it. His behaviour of the last few days was too strange. She thought something jogged by the coma had happened to him.

 

David saw her come in and stopped what he was doing. Things would be awkward again, he knew. He would have to check on his behaviour; the night before, he almost got caught. She wasn’t ready for that.

 

“Hi Emma.”

“David, how are you doing?”

“Very good… ” The awkwardness was already set in. “So… what brings you here?”

“I think you know… when we spoke last night, you were… well, I don’t know how to put it… You weren’t yourself. To be honest, I felt like I was talking to someone else.”

 

_How could he tell her the truth? She would think he had gone insane. Might as well go on with this charade until he could sort it out._

 

“You mean like the blackouts?”

“No, it’s… you’re gonna think I’m crazy.”

“Never going to happen!”

 

_His eyes. They were filled with something, something he was trying to hide. Why all this emotion?_

 

“Your whole attitude has changed since Mary Margaret got released. You used to be shy, troubled and… I know you had good intentions, but you made choices that—”

“—were stupid, I know.”

“And now it’s like you’re a different person. I’ve seen how you behave with Mary Margaret and with me… I don’t know how to put words to this.”

“You think it had something to do with the coma? Is that why you went to Dr Whale?”

“You know that?”

 

He smiled again. _Such a sweet comforting smile; why did it make her feel so good? So safe?_

 

“He called an hour ago to see how I was doing.”

“I’m sorry… I’m just really worried.”

“I know… There’s still a lot of confusion since I woke up. It took time for all my memories to come back, and it took even longer for them to feel… real. I’ve had weird dreams too, that complicated things.” They both had a little laugh. “But I’m not changing, Emma. I’m just going back to who I used to be, before the coma.”

“I understand, she said relieved. I’m sorry I bothered you about this.”

“You never bother me, Emma.”

 

She smiled and left the shelter, after wishing him a good evening. He watched her through the window until she disappeared. He sighed.

 

“I am so proud of you, Emma.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

King Gabriel’s castle

 

The King was working battle strategy with his son and councillors. Sitting in a chair, Rapunzel listened, unconvinced.

 

“What about through the forest, Father?” asked Wilfried, showing an area on the map where no camp was drawn. “We could send some men through, they would end up on the other side of the monster army and we’d crush them by both sides.”

“I thought of it, son… However, even if we had enough people to send, it would take too long for them to reach the other side.”

“That depends.”

 

It was Rapunzel who had spoken. They all turned to hear what the witch’s daughter had to say.

 

“If they leave from here, they will never get there in time. But they may succeed if they are sent from there!”

 

On the map, she showed Lady Gothel’s lands, closer to the forest and not attacked by the monsters.

 

“You can’t be serious!”

“I have a few hundred men, extremely skilled as you are aware, and they could reach the other side in a few days.”

“This won’t make a difference… a few hundred men – no matter how skilled – will not crush these beasts. They will be slaughtered.”

“My mother made their armour impervious to all weapons, as you know. They are loyal to me and will gladly join in the battle.”

 

The sarcasm they showed each other made the councillors nervous. The king’s hatred for Lady Gothel clouded his judgment and Rapunzel couldn’t help but tease him about it.

 

“No!”

“This is a good idea, Father”, reasoned Wilfried.

“No, I will not allow this!”

“ _Allow_ this? With all due respect, Your Majesty, I don’t need your approval to send _my_ men to fight by your side. I am offering my help, not imposing it!”

“I will not use magic to win this war. Its price is too high!”

“Why do you hate magic so much?”

“I have my reasons… reasons I can’t explain right now!”

 

She let an exasperated sigh.

 

“ _Fine_! Keep your bloody secrets! I will send my men to help yours and I have my own reasons: your son, my love for him and for our child coming. We are going to be a family, sire, and I will not let my family be hurt just because you’re too stubborn. I will fight by your side, whether you like it or not!”

 

Her resolve impressed the king and one of his councillors smiled in awe. The same councillor who had a relieved reaction the other day.

 

“You really won’t let go, will you? You can’t just be happy I approve of you marrying my son, you need to commit to it with all you have?”

“I spent my life in a comfortable illusion that everything was fine and safe. Reality hurts, but I would rather have it then pretending again, because I want a real family, sire… And you’re a part if it!”

 

The king smiled at the confession. He rather liked this strange combination of strength and vulnerability. Somehow it touched him.

 

“Very well… we will use Lady Rapunzel’s men to ambush the enemy.”

 

 

 

In his tower, Rumpelstiltskin was studying a map identical to king Gabriel’s map. Every position of every soldier on both sides was showing when all of a sudden, another arrow appeared, leading from Gothel’s land to the forest.

 

“Ooouuuh!” he let out a fake shiver and sneered at the amulet. “Joined the battle, have we?... That’s _very_ interesting… And you’re trying to ambush these bad, bad creatures… well, well, what a bold move!”

 

He clapped his hands like a child, letting one of his inside laughs and made the map disappear. Taking the amulet, he added in a playful tone: “Let’s see what your lovely daughter can really do, shall we?”

 

And he put the amulet in his coat pocket, before leaving his castle, an awful plan in his head.

 

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Storybrooke, Maine

 

The next morning, Emma got back to the hospital to check on Dominic. She still had a lot on her mind with David and she almost bumped into a nurse coming out of an exit door. She apologized, but the nurse simply ignored her. Emma frowned, took a quick glimpse at the door – an exit with an electronic lock and a password – wondered what could be there and went on her way.

 

In the waiting room, she saw Rebecca lying down on two chairs, sleeping. She had spent the whole night waiting outside, while Dominic was in the observation room. On the frail woman, a man’s coat served as a blanket… Mr Gold’s coat. Mr Gold himself, standing by the window, a coffee cup in his hand was absentmindedly looking into Dominic’s room. When the Sheriff stepped closer, he heard and turned to her with an exhausted smile.

 

“Emma!... Yow did things go with Mr Nolan?”

“Oh, that’s… all good—I won’t even ask how you know about this… I came to see if Dominic was better. Did you stay here all night?”

 

He simply nodded without answering. She couldn’t help but wonder why.

 

“So… how is he?”

“We still don’t know… Dr Whale thinks he managed to see inside his head… maybe the next scans will be more conclusive.”

“How is she handling it?” she asked, looking at Rebecca.

“Painfully!” He let out a contrived smile. “Imagine meeting the love of your life and finding out he could die any moment… These past weeks have been hard on her nerves.”

“How are _you_ handling it?”

“I’m not… I didn’t have the time to deal with it, really.”

 

He didn’t say more. Behind them, Rebecca had woken up. As she rose, she noticed the coat she was wearing and recognised it immediately. She had a sad smile and slowly moved towards Dominic’s room, the coat on her shoulders. At the same moment, Dr Whale came to them, a file in his hand.

 

“Doctor, said Rebecca, what are the news?”

“uhmmm… first, I have to say I have no idea how can any of this have happened. I don’t think I will ever be able to explain it.”

“Explain what?” Emma asked.

“Well…” He got a new scan, a perfectly clear one, of Dominic’s head. “See for yourself.”

 

He put the scan on the window and they could all see it.

 

“Where’s the tumour?” asked the Sheriff, as they all stared in puzzled awe.

“It’s gone. We don’t know how it could have happened, but the tumour has completely disappeared… as if he were never sick.”

“Are you really saying he’s cured?”

“Well, last week we could see the tumour had expanded to the left side of his brain. No medication could slow it down and surgery was too risky… and in less than a week, a fatal form of cancer has just vanished. The only logical explanation is—”

“—A miracle?” Rebecca finally said, making the doctor smile.

“If you believe in that sort of thing. There are still a lot of things we don’t know about the will of the human mind… Did something happen that changed his life drastically in the past week? Not that I think it can explain it, but… Sometimes a trauma can have physical side-effects.”

“Well… we’re still living at Granny’s since both our homes are being _renovated_.” She had a look towards Mr Gold who held her glimpse with a very convincing poker face. “But I’m going back home soon and we have decided Dominic would move in with me. That’s not a trauma, is it?”

 

They all laughed, as Rebecca shook hands with Dr Whale, who congratulated them before leaving to take care of other patients. Emma also congratulated Rebecca, who hugged her in blissful tears. They couldn’t believe it: true love curing cancer? Among the crazy things they had seen, this was a first!

 

Rebecca turned to Mr Gold to give him back his coat and they stared at each other awkwardly. They had become friends over this painful event and now that the tension had finally calmed, they had to realise what had happened.

 

“Well, I have to go now… Thank you for staying.”

“Before you go…” He went through his jacket pocket and let out an envelope. “You might want this.”

 

Perplexed, she opened the envelope and looked at the papers it contained. Then her face lightened once more.

 

“You… you signed them?”

 

She couldn’t believe it and before he could answer her, she took him in her arms and hugged him, as if she had always done that. Emma watched, as Gold uncomfortably returned the gesture. When they broke their embrace, she seemed relieved and he seemed troubled.

 

“Thank you… for everything!”

“Thank _you_ ”, he answered. As she widened her eyes, he added: “For waking me up.”

 

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek before going inside the room to finally be with Dominic. Gold watched her kiss her true love with mixed emotions. Emma watched it all: the lovers’ embrace and the ex’s reaction.

 

“I don’t get you, Gold. One day you abduct a man and you pay a fortune to hide him from your wife – who you don’t love – and a few days later, you support her through all this and you agree to divorce and let her be with him?”

 

“Quite contradictory, I know. However, though I appreciate your concern for Rebecca, my reasons are my own and I would prefer to keep it that way.”

 

Before Emma could add anything more, he bid her good day and left, determined to remain a mystery.

 

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In the beasts’ camp, the battle had calmed down for the night and their leader was working battle tactics. He was an ugly man, with a perpetual frown of anger. His greyish beard poorly covered this strange grin he had when he walked towards the entrance of his tent. He limped and held his side as if to stop a bleeding and yet his bad shape made him even more menacing.

 

Three trolls had entered and were waiting permission to speak.

 

“Lord, growled one of them, dragon guarding the east side is dead.”

 

The two others had carried in the decapitated head of the beast. The lord in question approached the head with a grin of pain.

 

“Who did this?” he exploded.

“We don’t know, Lord”, answered the troll, looking for blood as well.

“Perhaps, I can answer that”, spoke a strange voice behind them.

 

They turned to see Rumpelstiltskin, sitting comfortably in the lord’s chair, one of his favourite entrances.

 

“Who are you?” roamed the lord.

“Who I am is not important right now. What is, is _this_!”

 

As he answered, the imp giddily rose from the chair and made the map appear. He put it on a table and, in a theatrical way, invited the lord to come closer.

 

“Your enemy has a new ally, a powerful one and they are planning to send a hundred men through here. They will be here in two days and I think you will find them quite difficult to beat.”

 

The lord looked cautiously at the map, then at the smiling imp.

 

“Why are you showing me this?... What’s in it for you?”

“My reasons are my own, dearie. And I would prefer to keep it that way.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

Mary Margaret jumped when the door closed and quickly went to the kitchen, David a few steps behind her. Emma had thrown her coat on a chair and sat down, overwhelmed by what had happened. She gasped when she saw Mary Margaret and David come in. The teacher sat in front of her friend.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Emma looked at both of them, her wide eyes filled with doubt.

 

“I don’t know… I saw something today that’s impossible! I just can’t wrap my mind around it. It’s been bothering me all day.”

“What was it?”

“Maybe we can help”, David suggested.

“Thanks… what I need right now is a shower and some rest.”

 

They watched her go up to her room, silent, both with the same expression on their faces. Then David broke the silence.

 

“We have to tell her.”

 

Mary Margaret turned to him, a frightened expression on her face.

 

“We can’t. It’s too soon! Look at her. Are you sure she can take it?”

“We can’t live this lie anymore. She needs to know the truth. She has to know that we remember.”


End file.
